Vietnam to send 337 athletes to Hangzhou Asian Games

HANOI -- Vietnam is set to dispatch 337 athletes to the Hangzhou Asian Games, where they will compete in 31 of the 40 sports, targeting two to five gold medals.

The athletes are scheduled to depart for Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 20, with the official send-off ceremony slated for Saturday in Hanoi, the Sports Authority of Vietnam announced Thursday.

The 19th Asian Games will commence on Sept. 23 and conclude on Oct 8.

Vietnam's gold medal aspirations lie in sepak takraw, Chinese chess, shooting, cycling, karate, weightlifting, and archery. All national teams have undergone rigorous training both domestically and overseas, the local newspaper Vietnam News noted on Thursday, quoting Dang Ha Viet, chairman of the Vietnam Sports Administration.

While Vietnam might not be the favorites for gold in swimming, athletics, rowing, canoeing, table tennis, tennis, gymnastics, roller skating, boxing, taekwondo, wrestling, wushu, judo, kurash, jujitsu, and fencing, they are optimistic about clinching bronze and silver medals in these events.

Vietnam secured four Asiad gold medals at the 2018 edition in Indonesia.